TOM PETTY’s dream has come true with an expanded reissue of one of his best albums, WILDFLOWERS & ALL THE REST, out NOW in multiple versions on CD & LP!
During TOM PETTY’S final interview with theLos Angeles Times, as the triumphant 40thanniversary tour withTHE HEARTBREAKERSwas coming to an end, he announced that his next big focus would be to finally revisit his 1994 masterpiece,WILDFLOWERS, co-produced withRICK RUBINandMIKE CAMPBELL.
Tom might have left us before it happened, but Wildflowers has finally gotten the expanded treatment it deserves; WILDFLOWERS & ALL THE REST is out now in five different configurations:
LP 3: All the Rest (10 tracks – 5 unreleased songs)
LP 4 & 5: Home Recordings/Demos (3 unreleased songs and 12 unreleased versions)
LP 6 & 7: Wildflowers Live (12 unreleased versions and 2 distributed to Fan Club only)
LP 8 & 9: Alternate Takes (“Finding Wildflowers”) (16 tracks) (1 unreleased song and 10 unreleased versions)
Get them all at Horizon Records today, or order your copy NOW at Horizon’s webstore by clicking HERE!
THE ALBUM:
Wildflowersin many ways changed Tom’s creative life—as a recording artist, collaborator and band leader—while a profound, personal crisis transformed the stories and emotional thrust in his songs.Tom ultimately wrote more songs than he could release at the time.In fact, Tom, Rubin and Campbell completed the album as a double CD with 25 songs, nearly two hours of music, but his label advised restraint.Released on November 1, 1994,Wildflowers—a single CD with 15 songs, still more than an hour in length—was Tom’s most acutely confessional album to date.
The resurrection ofWildflowershas been a long time coming.In a 2014 interview withRolling StoneTom detailed his plans for the reissue, telling the magazine, “I broke through to something else.My personal life came crashing down, and it derailed me for a while.But I was at the top of my game during that record.”Then again in 2016 on SiriusXM’s Tom Petty Radio, he discussed his desire for aWildflowerstour to coincide with a reissue.Tom had always intended to release the second half of the album—a collection he namedAll The Rest, featuring ten songs from theWildflowersrecording sessions that were left off the original version and five unreleased tracks (different versions of four other songs would appear on the soundtrack to the 1996 film,She’s The One).
Wildflowers & All The Rest, the long-awaitedWildflowersreissue and comprehensive collection is becoming a reality due to the commitment of his loving family, bandmates and collaborators who helped unearth many previously unheard gems. The compilation was curated by Tom’s daughters,AdriaandAnnakim Pettyand his wifeDana Pettywho call it, “Many, many hours of pure sonic joy,” as well as HeartbreakersMike CampbellandBenmont Tench, and was produced by Tom’s longtime engineer and co-producerRyan Ulyate. Together they stewarded the warmth Tom created through his music and relationship to his fans.
Adria Petty also oversaw the creative direction for theWildflowersproject, with original packaging illustrations byBlaze Ben Brooks, original cover beadwork byMaria Sarno, as well asWildflowers-era photography byMark Seliger,Robert SebreeandMartyn Atkins.
Wildflowerswas the first album of a long-term renaissance.It was Petty’s fastest selling album and was certified triple platinum only nine months after its release.The album was always deeply significant to him.As proof, five of the 18 songs performed at his final live concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles came from the album.Wildflowers—his solo masterpiece, a personal triumph and the album Petty needed to make at that moment, at any cost—is finally here as he intended it and beyond.
